March 13, 2011

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Broadcast Date:

Mar 13 2011

Wisconsin, the epicenter of the struggle for labor rights; how federal dollars are used to train local police to fear Islam; Bridgewater, New Jersey, the site of the latest campaign to block a Muslim center; plus "Who Profits" from the Israeli occupation?

Episode segments

Whither Wisconsin...Whither Labor Rights

Topics:National Politics, Electoral, Domestic Policy

Guests:Mike Tate is the Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin

Hosts:Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

Beyond the Pale talks with Mike Tate about the state of the struggle for labor rights in Wisconsin. And now that Governor Walker has succeeded in passing a law to eliminate collective bargaining for most Wisconsin state employees along with steps to impede union efforts, what's next on the opposition's agenda?

Update: March 19: A Wisconsin judge issues a temporary restraining order blocking the collective bargaining law from taking effect. For the NYT story, click here.

What Some Police Are Being Taught About Islam

Topics:National Politics, Domestic Policy, Civil Rights

Guests:Meg Stalcup is a writer based in Seattle, and a postdoctoral fellow at the Hutchinson Center/University of Washington. She is the co-author with Joshua Craze of How We Train Our Cops To Fear Islam in the March/April edition of Washington Monthly.

Hosts:Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

Throughout the U.S. federal dollars are financing the training of local police in dealing with terrorist threats. We talk with Meg Stalcup about who these trainers are and what they're telling police about Islam and how to identify and deal with potential jihadists.

Bridgewater Township Blocks Construction of a Local Mosque and Community Center

Topics:Foreign Policy, Domestic Policy, Civil Rights

Guests:Sarah Wallace is a member of, and spokesperson for, the AlFalah Center.

Hosts:Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

On Monday, March 14, the Bridgwater Township Council is scheduled to vote on an ordinance that would limit where houses of worship can be established. effectively blocking the AlFalah Center's application currently before the local Planning Board. We talk with Sarah Wallace about the background to AlFalah's efforts to gain Planning Board approval and recent efforts to change local zoning laws to block construction.

UPDATE: On Monday, March 14th, the Bridgewater Township Council voted unanimously to change zoning laws, blocking construction of the AlFalah Center.

International Campaign Targets Companies that Profit from the Israeli Occupation

Dalit Baum talks with Beyond the Pale about the ways Who Profits provides vital information for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. She names, as examples, two global corporations that profit from the occupation and have operations in the U.S.: Soda Stream and Veolia (owner of the familiar blue SuperShuttle transport vans). She also talks about the Israeli Knesset's legislation to criminalize BDS supporters.

"As a good Hebrew, I wanted to be a border runner... a messenger of values of fraternity, solidarity, and the prospects of coexistence, a coexistence based on respect, equality, and cooperation; a border smuggler; and a transgressor of the taboos that pressure us to shrivel up in a jingoistic identity." -Michel Warschawski